Kenya election violence: ICC names suspects

"Deputy PM and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta
was one of those named"

The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has named six high-profile Kenyans he accuses of being behind the violence that followed the disputed 2007 elections.

Deputy PM and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta was one of those named.

Some 1,200 people died and more than 500,000 fled homes in the violence.

In the peace deal that followed it was agreed that the perpetrators of the violence would face justice either in Kenya or at the ICC in The Hague.

Kenyan MPs have so far blocked moves to set up a local tribunal.

On Monday, President Mwai Kibaki announced the government would launch its own investigation - a move his critics have denounced as an attempt to prevent suspects being sent to The Hague.

The violence broke out three years ago after Mr Kibaki's supporters were accused of trying to rig the presidential election.

It ended when Mr Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga agreed to share power, with Mr Odinga becoming prime minister.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has focused on two specific cases of post-election violence, which spread throughout the country after protests by Mr Odinga's supporters.

Industrialisation Minister Henry Kosgey was another appointed by Mr. Ocampo.

Minister William Ruto Suspended education, radio executive Joshua Arap Sang, cabinet secretary Francis Muthaura Kirim and former police chief Mohammed Hussein Ali are the other squad.

Kenyan police were put on alert in case the ad sparks renewed clashes.

Each of the six will be served with a subpoena, but it does not appear or try to hinder the investigation - for example, intimidating witnesses - Mr Ocampo said he would seek arrest warrants.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says that in recent days there has been a degree of panic among some members of the political elite usually untouchable.

Read the main story

Violence in Kenya post-election

•  Raila Odinga says he was cheated of victory in December 2007 vote by supporters of Mwai Kibaki
•  The protests led to violent clashes with police
•  Supporters of Odinga and Kibaki divided on ethnic lines
•  Revenge attacks triggered by land disputes and long-standing economic
•  1,200 killed, 500,000 forced from their homes
•  The violence ended when Kibaki and Odinga agreed to share power
•  Thousands still live in camps
•  Nobody born in Kenya
• Audio Slideshow: Miriam refuge
•  Audio slideshow: Bernard's family slain

Most Kenyans feel these processes are vital to undermine the entrenched culture of impunity, our correspondent says.

The key question now is whether the accused will surrender or be protected by politicians and escape justice, he says.

atrocity Church

Kenya has had a series of violent elections, but the disputed vote in 2007 saw the country to the brink of civil war.

There were revenge attacks, with a long ethnic and economic rivalries ignited by political divisions.

Communities connected to each other with crude weapons like they were encouraged and even paid by politicians hungry for power, our correspondent says.

Police used excessive force and committed extrajudicial killings, he says.

One of the worst incidents saw a church where about 100 people had sought refuge in flames, killing dozens of people inside.

Arms were raised only after the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan brokered a peace agreement between the two presidential rivals.

As the ICC investigation gathered pace in recent months, several witnesses were threatened, and the ICC has some outside the country.

Are you in Kenya? You witness any violence after the 2007 elections? If these cases be treated in Kenya or the International Criminal Court? Send your comments: